Chaco Canyon 12.8.8

On our way out of Durango, we stopped at an espresso kiosk near the Alpine Inn Motel then the local grocery store. We were surprised by the diverse selection of organics. We drove south along 550 into New Mexico to visit Chaco Canyon. Chaco is one of those special places on planet earth that has very strong spiritual vibes. The 13 miles of water board dirt roads shook Kaya as we travelled back into another time. Once in the canyon, there were many buildings, kivas, lunar/solar daggers and other remnants of a great civilization to visit. One of the most interesting facts is that Chaco was built not only along solar lines but lunar as well. According to a PBS special we downloaded called The Mystery of Chaco Canyon and narrated by Robert Redford, Chaco is the first known to align along lunar lines.

A scientist stumbled upon this as she climbed a nearby Butte and found a spiral illuminated by a solar dagger across the center at precisely noon on the solstice. We toured Tse biyah nii’a’ah, Pueblo Bonito and were awestruck by the impressive ruins. Unlike other cultural sites this one allowed you to travel into some of the rooms on the site. The size and magnitude of the structure made it all the more impressive.

We got to the $10 a night campsite after exploring several sites along the nine mile drive through the canyon. We settled in early and enjoyed an afternoon and evening of yahtzee, wine and a new flavor combination: corn tortillas, dried Italian sausage and fresh goat cheese. A white Westy pulled into the campsite while we were napping. The evening was spent with Lisa knitting a scarf as I processed the day’s pictures.

For dinner we cracked yet another bottle of wine and had Choucroute. For those keeping score we drank a 2004 Dolcetto by Clerico and for dinner had a 2002 Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir. I made a huge pot of Choucroute in Chicago before we left… basically it’s the French version of Sauerkraut. We made ours with sauerkraut, sausages, smoked pork loin and double smoked bacon made by Paulina Butcher Shop in Chicago. You start by sautéing a chopped onion in a big spoonful of duck fat or bacon fat. Add some grated apple, crushed juniper berries, bay leaf and drained sauerkraut. Add pork rind and large pieces of double smoked bacon. Add your favorite flavorful beer or a good Alsatian white wine and simmer for hours at a very low temperature. I generally do mine for about six hours. The next day when the flavors have married and you are dying to eat some add your smoked pork loin and sausages and heat slowly. Towards the end add a few boiled peeled potatoes, crack a beer and rejoice!

Bellies full, van toasty from the Propex, we laid down and watched the movie Grand Canyon…

our campsite at Chaco Canyon

The Valley of the Gods – NO SHIT!!!
12.9.8

We woke up early with Kaya covered in ice and snow. I realize I say this often but damn is it nice to be able to flip a switch and have heat from the Propex. Everyone go call Karl Mullendore and order one today. I promise you will sing and dance! With Kaya toasty warm, I set about preparing a breakfast of scrambled eggs mixed with Hungarian smoked bacon, bulbous green onions, spinach and goat cheese. Lisa sipped her chai and I enjoyed coffee as the sun peeked out and revealed deep blue skies. We drove over to the visitor center to view artifacts saved from looters and fill Kaya’s water tank. The center was dark from a black out but the ranger inside kindly enough gave us her flashlight so we could gaze at beautiful pottery pieces, tools fashioned from animal bones and other exhibits. The whole tour was surreal as we walked through illuminating history with the flashlight.

Sometimes I wonder whether we have advanced or regressed as a society. Are we more or less advanced than earlier people?

We left the park in the late morning and headed onward to Farmington, New Mexico. In Farmington we found a great microbrewery called Three Rivers Brewery and enjoyed a few pints of IPA, root beer, a Reuben and some nachos. I highly recommend stopping here if you are in the neighborhood. The brewery offers 12 beers at a time including a double brown called, you guessed it, Leroy Brown. Start singing… I did.

I needed a cup of Joe to continue driving so we stopped at a local bookstore/café. While Lisa was in getting me a cappuccino, a guy wandered over and stood near Kaya smiling. He was friendly so I continued sitting there listening to Michael Franti. Another guy walked up and started taking pictures. He followed the Dead for a while and lived in the area. He actually worked at the mattress shop across from the bookstore, saw Kaya and came over. The smiling guy finally walked up and showed my two tattoos of dancing bears on his wrists and smiled as he walked away.

Our game plan was to hit Monument Valley on the way to the Grand Canyon. So into Arizona then Utah we travelled. A few miles after the Utah border on 191 and immediately before 163 you cross a river. Great stealth spots abound on the banks hidden by Pinion Pines. Low on fuel we decided to roll the dice and keep on going keeping an eye open for stealth spots. We stopped in Bluff then headed south towards Monument Valley. The terrain quickly got extremely picturesque as valleys appeared and disappeared in the late afternoon sunshine. Lisa saw a small road leading off to the left with a small brown sign that said Valley of the Gods. Feeling Godlike, we headed down the road seeking shelter for the night. We headed down a rough road, across a dried wash and into paradise. We popped the top with the solar panel facing the setting sun, pinched ourselves and watched the sun set.

Dinner was a spinach salad with goat cheese and pine nuts dressed in a quick vinaigrette made from some apple balsamic I forgot I had in Kaya and some extra virgin olive oil mixed with sea salt, pepper and Dijon mustard then a bowl of Rotini tossed in a sun dried tomato and San Marzano tomato sauce was crispy garlic slivers and hot peppers sprinkled with Pecorino Romano cheese. For dessert, I made an extremely rich hot chocolate with hazelnuts.

We watched the near full moon and too nocturnal long exposure pictures of Kaya. I did one with Lisa walking through the shot. It looks like a ghost is standing and looking in the side of the van. Freaky!

Blessings! I hope this post finds everyone in the same good spaces and vibe that Lisa and I find ourselves in. Jah Blessings! ASWAH!

Grand Canyon via Monument Valley
12.10.8

It feels rather appropriate to begin and end our Utah adventure with a quote from Edward Abbey: “Wilderness begins in the human mind.” AMEN!

Lisa and I awoke to the beauty magnificent beauty of the Valley of the Gods. The sun kissed the surrounding peaks in an explosion of red pitted against the deep blue skies.

“The industrial corporation is the natural enemy of nature.” I even venture to add that the enemy of man for now we are enslaved by the beast that we designed to relieve us.

The ice melted on the back windows to reveal the jagged edges of sandstone 100 feet out back. “It is not enough to understand the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it.”

One last quote and then I venture outside to play with Lucy in the cold Utah morning: “New Yorkers like to boast that if you can survive in New York, you can survive anywhere. But if you can survive anywhere, why live in New York?” AMEN.

Lisa and I just had English muffins for breakfast and headed further into the Valley of the Gods. Though the road had some serious ruts here and there the road was very passable and it ventured deeper into the Valley. We came to the highlight of the road: a twisty section surrounded by amazing spires of rock. We came so close to camping another night here.

If anyone is actually reading this trash please mark this down… load Vanagon, buy Propex heater from Karl, get extra water and head to the Valley of the Gods… wait, better yet, do not do any of that. The scenery sucks. Stay wherever you live.

We continued out of the park and passed the Valley of the Gods B and B and thought for those less adventurous this would be a great spot to see everything. We headed first into the town of Mexican Hat and then continued south to Monument Valley. At the entrance of the parl there is a great grocery store, motel, RV park, laundry, gas station, propane and general resupply point. A number of cool locals came up and were intrigued by Kaya’s paint job… damn hippies.

Monument Valley – Navajo Lands… put on Bob Marley’s Time will Tell and drive into the park. Since it’s Navajo lands our Eagle Park Pass didn’t work.

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